Nice Lingostière shopping center continues to grow
A little more than a year after the expansion of the Nice Lingostière shopping center in Var, Ludovic Boudet, its director since 2014, can breathe. Finally, if the person responsible for a shopping center with a hundred shops and a Carrefour hypermarket with up to 25,000 customers a day can rest on an area of more than 20,000 square meters…
Because it’s Nice Lingostière. Opened in 1978, the center was one of the first to settle in Nice and its region, and its locomotive housed the Carrefour hypermarket. [une enseigne qui joue un rôle moteur dans l’animation et la création de trafic d’un centre commercial, ndlr].
Today, the leader agrees: “All spaces in the new shopping center have been leased and by the end of the year we will be at 100% capacity.”
Before he gets there, he’ll have to go through seven years of design studies, building permits, building marketing, the works… While managing yellow vests, floods, attacks and Covid episodes… “Work planned for twenty-eight months ended up taking three years” remembers It was in 2014 that Carmila, a subsidiary of Carrefour, the owner of the shopping center, decided on this 10,000 m2 expansion for the amount of 85 ME.
A distinctive proposition
The aim was, of course, to expand, but above all to offer a more diversified offer that better meets customer expectations. “Our gallery at that time offered many services (telephone, cobbler, hairdresser, beautician, travel agency, etc.), but not enough clothing.” Of these, Kiabi is marked by the arrival of fifty additional stores, including H&M as well as catering facilities. “Normal, the qLeui hygiene products discount chain is expanding strongly and Le Den des Sorciers for Harry Potter fans.”
But Ludovic Boudet is above all happy with two new locomotives – the pharmacy and the Cultura brand, which specializes in cultural and creative leisure. “It hasn’t been in Nice yet and that allows us to present a different proposition.”
To respond to the current “cocooning” trend of shopping malls on a human scale, “We have installed many kiosks/corners, rest and play areas for children in the corridors…” That’s right, because they are always full. After the expansion of the center, the number of customers per day increased by 7-10%. In numbers, it changes “Between 15,000 and 25,000 people a day, depending on whether it’s Tuesday or Saturday”the leader believes.
Family shopping
The center’s customers? It is family-run and comes from the hinterland, Nice West, Nice North (by car), Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Cagnes-sur-Mer… 800,000 people, i.e. 370,000 households. “We shop as a family, which spends an average of 1 hour 30-2 hours on the site. confirm, “We welcome a lot of people, especially on Wednesdays and Saturdays.” Competition according to Ludovic Boudet, “Cap 3000 and Nice city center” but Nice Lingostière has had serious advantages ever since “We are the first center down from the hills and above all we are a historic and well-known shopping center. The area has an attractive center connecting Leroy Merlin, cinema, Grand Frais, Decathlon….”
To give visitors a sense of unity, the old and new galleries have been created alike: “The same elegant atmosphere, the same furniture and the same lounges to create a sense of unity for customers and merchants.”
2350 parking spaces were also changed: “They’re wider and have dynamic routing, with a green or red light indicating whether the space is empty. Whether in the center or on the outside, we’ve really focused on customer comfort and green spaces.
The BiodiverCity certified center has at least 18,000 m2 of Mediterranean species planted in the car parks, but also on the roof and in an educational garden for children. Ludovic Boudet, who installed four beehives on the roof, also plans to install photovoltaic panels on the roof of the parking silo, which will be dedicated to Carrefour’s consumption. The building meets RT2012 thermal regulations and all lighting is full LED. The problem of the coming years will be energy.
However, a leader’s biggest concern is recruitment. “There are 85 vacancies both in Carrefour and in stores – in all commercial areas.”
Carrefour in the center employs 1,200: 600 and the same number of employees, including service providers (cleaning, security, green areas, etc.) in the shopping center. And to conclude: “Nice Lingostière is growing well, with 7,000 to 10,000 more customers a year. We should continue on this upward curve for three years.”
Growth is regular and the leader is smiling.
